Utilizing planned and controlled fire for woodland habitat and undergrowth management will be the focus of Carrying the Torch seminar and interrelated art exhibit held on January 27 & 28, 2024 in the lower level of the Galena Center for the Arts, 971 Gear St., Galena, IL.
On Saturday, January 27, the seminar will run from 1 PM – 4 PM with the art exhibit open to registered attendees from 12 PM to 5 PM.
On Sunday, January 28, the art exhibit will be open to the public from 1 PM – 4 PM.
Anyone interested in forest and habitat management, or related artwork, is invited to attend. The event is hosted by the Northwest Illinois Forestry Association (NIFA), the Woodland Wildlife Cooperative (WWC), and University of Illinois Extension. Pre-registration for the seminar is required by January 24, 2024. Seating is limited so pre-registration may close early.
“With wildfires becoming more prominent, people are understandably skeptical of intentionally using fire as a management tool in local woodlands” commented Brad Petersburg of the WWC. This seminar aims to describe how fire has been used for thousands of years to manage the landscape and how it is still being used effectively today to maintain fire-dependent woodlands and savannas in the Midwest.
Featured speaker and artist, University of Michigan graduate Gillian Moore, will share her perspectives as a conservation ecologist and a USFS wildland firefighter. Drone video of a local woodland prescribed burn will be shown and described. A panel discussion, moderated by Ken Beach of NIFA, will follow with representatives from various wildlife and conservation organizations sharing their perspectives and answering questions. These organizations include National Wild Turkey Federation, Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever, DNR’s Illinois Recreational Access Program, and Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation.
The seminar will coincide with an art exhibit by Gillian Moore entitled Carrying the Torch. This exhibit portrays the historic and contemporary use of prescribed fire in Michigan. For more information about Gillian Moore, see the article about how her art contributed to her Master’s degree work.
If you need reasonable accommodation to attend this program, please contact the Jo Daviess County Extension Office at 815-858-2273. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your needs.
In the event of inclement weather, the seminar will be postponed until Sunday, January 28. Visit our homepage for weather related updates as the event date approaches.
Pre-register for this free event at go.illinois.edu/Torch Scroll to find the registration form starting with 'Contact Information'. Please help us stay under the maximum occupancy of the center by registering each guest individually.
Stay up to date by visiting the NIFA Facebook event post.
